Hall of Fame
Football (2009-2010)
DJ Hayden played cornerback on Navarro College teams that went 22-2 with a pair of SWJCFC Championships and the 2010 NJCAA National Championship.Â
At the University of Houston, Hayden earned Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in 2011 and first-team honors in 2012. He started the first nine games of 2012 before suffering a season-ending tear of the interior vena cava in the heart after a freak collision during practice. Hayden was a shutdown corner at The University of Houston and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2013 draft.
He was the most recent of the nine Navarro players taken in the first round of professional football drafts. As the No. 12 pick, he shared Navarro’s third-highest selection with another Houston-area player, former Jets cornerback, and current Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn (1994). Hayden later played with the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington.
Though DJ is no longer with us, his memory and legacy continue to shine through his cherished daughters, Dylan and Demi Hayden, and the many family members and friends who hold him close in their hearts.
